MISLEADING - BEWARE! NOT 4 STAR WORTHY

WISH I KNEW BEFORE BOOKING: They have renovated and unrenovated rooms (which are REALLY old and shabby) - which is why the have some good reviews and some terrible reviews. It is hard to understand this when booking as the photos give the impression it is modern with nice views of Wellington. I assumed that paying $700 for 2 x nights (breakfast NOT included at that rate), would be for a good 4-star worthy room. Unfortunately we were given an awful room which was extremely over priced the weekend we stayed (due to events being held in Wellington). It was so disappointing after looking forward to this trip for so long. My heart sank as we walked into the room. I asked about changing the room and they said it would be an EXTRA $90 per night to upgrade to a renovated room!!!! That would have been $575 for one night which is astronomical for a room, that should be a standard level for a 4 star hotel

Key Issues:

• Room Quality: The room we were assigned was incredibly tired and shabby, with stained threadbare carpet and old furniture. The bathroom was dated with an ancient bath/shower that had black enamel missing in several places and a flimsy shower curtain. The photos on the website gave the impression of a modern room with a view, but what we received was a far cry from that.

• View: The view from our room was absolutely horrendous, overlooking the back of a building and a sort of grotty storage room below with rubbish bins, which completely detracted from the experience of being in such a beautiful city. This was particularly disappointing, as we had hoped to enjoy Wellington’s iconic scenery.

• Comfort: The beds were uncomfortable, with lumpy pillows, and the beds themselves moved around the room on wheels. There were no side tables or electrical sockets by the bed, and the walls were paper thin, meaning we could hear everything from the neighboring rooms beside and above us, and the hallway.

• Room Upgrade Charge: When I raised these concerns with staff, they offered an upgrade to a renovated room but tried to charge us an additional $90 per night and it had only one bed! That would have been $575 for one night which is astronomical for a room that should be as standard in a 4 star hotel. I found this unacceptable, given the already premium rate

• Lack of Customer Support: While staff were polite, they were unable to offer any assistance with the complaints. It seems they are aware that many of the older rooms are substandard - they mentioned the lack of sockets and the bath. They even suggested that I write online reviews sharing my dismay to get the manager’s attention, which I found to be quite disheartening.

• Hotel Atmosphere: Overall, the hotel does not feel like a 4-star establishment. The reception and foyer area were disappointing, with no real sense of welcome or luxury. It felt more like a thoroughfare for random people heading to and from the elevators to Lambton Quay - which was constant!

Pros:

• Good central location

• Pleasant enough staff - but NOT willing/able to help when you complain about the room and try to charge an EXTRA $90 per night to upgrade to a renovated room. It seems they hear these kind of complaints all the time and advised me to write a review online so the manager could read it as they wouldn’t take the time to listen otherwise!!

• We didn't visit the restaurant as thought if rooms are so bad, that the standard would not be good there either.

ADVICE: AVOID booking when events are on in Wellington as they will take advantage!!! If you do book check if you are in a renovated room. If you are in an unrenovated room and charged a high rate - book elsewhere.